From TheCityGirlsGoHiking attic of posts that never quite made it out into the world; on this bright, sunny spring day, we bring you a lovely rumination on the joys and perils of picking apples in the rain.

Oh, the best-laid plans. The best-laid plans that go awry when the sky opens up and starts dumping ridiculous amounts of rain all along the coast. The best-laid plans for a wander down the coast to a tiny little apple orchard with an outsize number of varietals in neat little rows.

What do you do when the forecast calls for rain on the day you’d set aside for apple picking? Why, you go anyway.

Our good friend TheSailor came to visit just after the new year and wanted a hike to the ocean that wasn’t too hilly. We didn’t have to think too far back for just the right trail, so off we went to Point Reyes to revisit the Bear Valley trail and Arch Rock.

Our friend S was dog-sitting for the weekend, and we joined her and her two charges for a romp at Fort Funston.

The dogs were ever so excited to go to the beach. They practically bowled us over when we showed up at their house and would not sit still the whole car ride to Fort Funston. In fact, when we hit the coast and turned on to the Great Highway, both dogs started whining like the whole world was on fire. But no, they were just that excited.

Fort Funston, for those who haven’t been, is THE doggy beach in San Francisco and it was teeming with pups on this sunny holiday. There were dogs chasing balls on the bluffs, dogs slurping water from the numerous doggy bowls that surrounded each water fountain, dogs sniffing each others’ butts… it was quite the canine social scene.

We made our way down onto the beach itself, and the two puppers could no longer contain themselves they were so excited. The little pup insisted we throw the ball for her, while the larger pup beelined for the water.

We picked up a couple doggy friends along the way, including a corgi who was just as excited to play fetch as the little pup. The larger pup, who isn’t really that large, decided he only wanted to hang with the big dogs (even though they were twice his size).

After all the fun and games, we took home two tired pups.

One was completely sand-logged from running into the waves and then rolling around in the sand and both were oh so happy and exhausted.

Last weekend was the beginning of winter in Yosemite, and T-Bell was there to see it with our friend S.

Arriving late in the evening on Friday to dropping temperatures and rain that threatened to turn to ice, we woke up Saturday morning to a winter wonderland with two inches of fresh powder.

The park had closed the Glacier Point and Tioga Pass roads a couple days earlier, so we were limited to the Valley for our hiking options. T-Bell wanted a hike with good views, so we headed for the Mist Trail to Vernal and Nevada Falls.

For Labor Day weekend, T-Bell ventured up to Fort Bragg for a weekend getaway. In between some harrowing sessions of leisurely brunch and reading on the porch in the sunshine, she managed to squeeze in a hike with the parents.

The highlight of the Fern Canyon hike was all the interesting trees, along with a pretty little waterfall thrown in just for fun.

The trail wandered through second-growth Redwood forest with a couple steep—but pretty short—climbs.

We were back in our old stomping grounds this weekend with a walk around Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis.

We used to live not too far from these lakes, and they were our go-to destination for getting some fresh air and a bit of nature. Our favorite running route was to circumnavigate Lake of the Isles, and Lake Calhoun was always a good choice for a lunchtime walk.

We turned adventure up a notch and went backpacking recently with our friends Star and Comet.

We had a reserved campsite at Glen Camp in Point Reyes National Seashore, a very reasonable 4.5 mile hike from the Visitor Center. It was a low-key, one night backpacking trip, which was just what we wanted!

We didn’t get on the trail until early afternoon, so it was a rather warm hike up to Glen Camp. And yes, it was up. Some day we’ll find a backpacking trail that’s flat and doesn’t require hauling up a hill … or mountain … and it will be pretty awesome. This hike, however, was not it.